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Theodorus van Gogh

Also Known As: "Theo"
Birthdate:
Birthplace: Groot-Zundert, Netherlands
Death: January 25, 1891 (33)
Utrecht, Netherlands (Syphilis)
Place of Burial: Auvers Sur Oise, Val-d'Oise, IDF, France
Immediate Family:

Son of Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Van Gogh
Husband of Johanna Bonger and Johanna Gezina Bonger
Father of Vincent Willem van Gogh, Jr.
Brother of Vincent van Gogh; Vincent van Gogh; Anna Cornelia van Gogh; Elisabeth Huberta van Gogh; Willemina van Gogh and 2 others

Occupation: Gallery Owner Art Dealer in Paris
Managed by: Diederik Mooij
Last Updated:

About Theo van Gogh

Theodorus "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch art dealer. He was the younger brother of Vincent van Gogh, and Theo's unfailing financial support allowed his brother to devote himself entirely to painting. Theo died at the age of 33, several months after Vincent had died at the age of 37.

He was born in the village Groot-Zundert in the province of Brabant, Netherlands to Theodorus van Gogh and Anna Cornelia Carbentus. His elder brother was Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), who later became a famous painter.

Van Gogh worked for some years at the Dutch (The Hague) office of the Parisian art dealers Goupil & Cie, and Theo joined the Brussels office on 1 January 1873 as their youngest employee. After Vincent was transferred to the London office, Theo moved to the office in The Hague, where he developed into a successful art dealer. By 1884, he was transferred to the Paris main office. Starting in the winter of 1880–1881, he sent painting materials as well as monthly financial support to Vincent, who was living back in the Netherlands.

In Paris, Theo met Andries Bonger and his sister Johanna, whom he married in Amsterdam on 17 April 1889. The couple lived in Paris, where on 31 January 1890 their son Vincent Willem was born. On 8 June, the family visited Vincent, who was living near Paris in Auvers-sur-Oise. Vincent died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in July 1890 at the age of 37 and Theo died in January 1891 at the age of 33, apparently of dementia paralytica, the last stage of syphilis.

Theo van Gogh's great-grandson, also named Theo van Gogh, was a film director, famous for his controversial criticism of Islam. He was murdered by a Dutch-Moroccan in 2004, at the age of 47.

He admired his elder brother Vincent for his whole life. But communicating with him proved to be difficult, even before Vincent opted to follow his artistic vocation. The communication between both brothers suffered from diverging definitions of standards, and it was evidently Theo who kept on writing letters. Therefore, mostly Vincent's answers survived and little of Theo's input. Theo was often concerned about Vincent's mental condition and he was amongst the few who understood his brother.

Theo was instrumental in the popularity of Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas by persuading his employers, Goupil & Cie, to exhibit and buy their works. On demand only, Theo seems to have shown Vincent's paintings, but evidently, a loyal apprentice of Goupil & Cie, he never sold one of them.

The two brothers maintained an intensive correspondence with Theo often encouraging his depressed brother. These letters have been collected and published into books, as revealing of the artist's mind and nature.

The relationship between the two brothers was the subject of the movie Vincent & Theo (1990), directed by Robert Altman.

In 1886, he invited Vincent to come and live with him, and from March of that year they shared a house in Montmartre. Theo introduced Vincent to Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Rousseau, Camille Pissarro and Georges Seurat, and in 1888 he persuaded Gauguin to join Vincent, who had moved to Arles in the meantime.


GEDCOM Note

Category: Den Dolder, Utrecht, Nederland
Category: Zundert, Noord-Brabant, NederlandCategory: Cimetière communal d'Auvers-sur-Oise, Auvers-sur-Oise, Val-d'Oise

Biography

Notables StickerDutch NotablesTheo van Gogh was an influential Dutch art dealer. He worked for the Parisian company Goupil & Cie. At first this was at the branch in The Hague. This shop had been founded by his uncle Vincent ("Cent") van Gogh (1820-1888), who afterwards became a partner of Goupil. On January1st, 1873. Theo was transferred to the branch in Brussels, in June to the one in London. For his brother, with whom he kept a regular correspondence since 1872, he arranged that in November 1873 Vincent got ajob in The Hague. Theo soon became a successful art dealer and was then promoted to the headquarters in Paris. From 1880 he used to send to Vincent monthly painting material and an allowance. In 1886 he invited him to move in with him in Paris. The firm had meanwhile been sold to a son-in-law of Goupil and was now called "Boussod, Valadon et Cie." Theo introduced his brother to a numberof nowadays famous painters, such as Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri Rousseau Camille Pissarro and Georges Seurat. In 1888 he persuaded Gauguin to move in with Vincent, who was now living in Arles. In the following year he married Jo Bonger (1862-1925). They had one son, Vincent Willem van Gogh (1890-1978). On June 8th, 1890 the young couple visited Vincent, who had settled in Auvers-sur-Oise, not far from Paris. By that time Theo considered the possibility of starting a business of his own. A month later, Vincent made a not immediately successful attempt at suicide. Two days later he died, in the presence of Theo. The latter began to suffer from a deep depression. He was taken into a psychiatric hospital, first in Auteuil, but on November 18th in his native country. After two months he died, probably as a result of syphilis and at the age of 33 years. He was buried at the Eerste Algemeene Begraafplaats Soestbergen, in Utrecht. In 1914 his mortal remains were transferred to Auvers-sur-Oise, where he now was buriedbeside his brother. Thanks to his son V.W. van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam came into being. It was opened in 1973.
(bio from findagrave.com)

Sources

≤references />* Birth: "Netherlands, Noord-Brabant Province, Civil Registration, 1811-1942," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939F-K693-BB?cc=2026223&wc=... : 22 May 2014), Zundert > Geboorten 1854 > image 398 of 524; Nederlands Rijksarchiefdienst, Hertogenbosch (Netherlands National Archives, Hertogenbosch).

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Theo van Gogh's Timeline

1857
May 1, 1857
Groot-Zundert, Netherlands
1890
January 31, 1890
Paris, Paris, Île-de-France, France
1891
January 25, 1891
Age 33
Utrecht, Netherlands
????
Auvers Sur Oise, Val-d'Oise, IDF, France